Laura took the elevator down to her floor to change into her red floor length dress with sleeves for the party.
Her old dress that she always wore to these types of functions.
The sun had just set behind the glass wall that showed the spire of the Chrysler building and New York stretching out to the horizon beginning to light up.
Walking out of her closet and into her master suite she sat on the edge of the bed and reached for her heels. P
lacing them on but she felt one of the beads on her necklace vibrate.
Smiling, she flipped her wrist over and pressed her fingerprint against it.
Answering the call, a holographic of T'Challa appeared from his shoulders upwards.
"Hey…" she greeted with a wave of her fingers.
"Hi, Laura." he greeted with a smile.
"What are you still doing up so late" she asked while sitting down.
"What… I can't call my girlfriend after she locked herself in a lab for three days?" he joked.
She smiled.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Bruce, Tony, and I were on the clock on a project but it reached a dead end unfortunately." she explained.
"I'm sorry to hear that." he apologized.
"It's fine. It was nice to nerd out like old times in a lab. I missed it." she grinned and he smiled.
"Are you and The Avengers done with the raids?" he asked.
"Yes. I'm working on wrapping everything up over here and I should be able to join you permanently after I have a discussion with Tony. Did you talk to your father about it?" she asked back.
"I did. He does want to talk to you when you get back." he said.
"Okay. Even though I'm happy you called you still never answered my question." she said with a knowing grin.
"What… I can't just call and say hi." he said innocently.
"Really, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm in this ridiculous dress I wear twice a year not by choice." she said knowingly.
"Maybe…" he just gave his smile he reserved her for.
"Fine…" she just shook her head as she placed the bead on the bed.
It minimized her to give him a POV of her whole body and she gave a spin on her heels.
The hem of the dress flowing for him.
"You look beautiful." he said lovingly and she blushed.
"That was my intention." she said and the couple smiled at each other.
"Listen I'm sorry for being away for so long again but uh…" she began to apologize but he interrupted her.
"It's alright Laura. We both knew this was going to be how it was between us. I would never ask you to give up anything." he reassured her.
"I know. I know and I love you for that but maybe it's because I just wanna spend all my time with you." she replied.
"Maybe, you do?" he joked and she smiled.
"Okay, I admit it I do. And I will be with you for real in a few days. I promise." she promised.
"I look forward to it. I love you Laura."
"I love you, T'Challa." she kissed her fingers and pressed them to the bead.
He did the same so their fingers met.
"I should head downstairs. I'll call you tomorrow." Laura told her boyfriend.
"Okay, don't stay out too late." he joked.
"No promises." she gave him a mischievous look before reaching down to place the bead back in her bracelet, ending the call.
Later that night, Laura arrived fashionably late to the party down in the common room.
It was in full swing with all of The Avengers and lots of big movers and shakers in the business world along with some celebrities.
It was a who's who guest list for Tony's exclusive parties.
She had a glass in her hand, joined by Tony, Rhodey, Thor and Hill.
Rhodey was dramatically retelling one of his missions that he already told Laura who was taking a sip from her glass.
"Well, you know, the suit can take the weight, right? So I take the tank, fly it right up to the General's palace, drop it at his feet, I'm like, "Boom! You looking for this?" he exclaimed while gesturing his arms.
Tony and Thor stared at him plainly and Laura smiled faintly.
"That's the whole story?" Thor asked confused.
"Yeah, Rhodey. It's not impressive the second telling." Laura joked.
"Thanks for that. And no it's a War Machine story." he clarified.
"Well, it's very good then. It's impressive." Thor laughed at the end while drinking from his glass.
"Quality save. So, no Pepper? She's not coming?" Rhodey asked Tony.
"No." he shook his head.
"Hey, what about Jane? Why are Watson and I the only ladies here, gentleman?" Hill asked them.
"Well, Ms. Potts has a company to run now that Watson has been MIA from her duties." he joked to Laura.
"Like I said. JARVIS has automated my job for me." she shrugged her shoulders.
"But not your salary." he pointed out and she just stuck her tongue out to him like a child.
"Yes, I'm not even sure what country Jane's in. Her work on the convergence has made her the world's foremost astronomer." Thor complimented about Jane Foster.
"And the company that Pepper runs is the largest tech conglomerate on earth. It's pretty exciting." Tony one upped.
Laura rolled her eyes but shared a look with Hill.
"There's even talk of Jane getting a... um, uh... Nobel prize." Thor added.
"Yeah, they...they must be busy because they'd hate missing you guys get together…" Hill said but coughed dramatically.
"Testosterone! Oh, excuse me." she joked and Laura giggled.
She downed the rest of her glass and walked off towards the bar in the corner by the façade of windows.
"But Jane's better."
Laura made her way through the crowd towards the bar where Nat was bartending.
"Hey, Natasha." she greeted while holding up her glass.
"Bourbon?" she offered as Laura leaned up against the counter.
"You know me so well." she joked.
Nat turned around to reach for the bottle above her head and poured her glass.
She poured herself one as well.
"Cheers." the two toasted their glasses and downed their drinks.
"So how's the secret boyfriend of yours?" Nat asked bluntly.
"He is fine and can you keep it down. Only Tony, you and Clint and Laura knows about him." she said while glancing around nervously.
"Relax. You're secret is safe with me. It's just that you're glowing and its very noticeable." her friend teased her which caused her to smile embarrassingly.
"I don't know what you're talking about." she muttered into her glass.
Looking down to see it empty already.
"I think you do so my question is why aren't you married yet. It's been what two years, at least?" she asked while leaning her elbows against the counter to lean her face closer to her.
Under her intense gaze.
"It's kinda complicated Natasha." she said vaguely.
"Well uncomplicate it because I'm still expecting more nieces and nephews to spoil." Nat teased her.
"You're gonna have to wait for that one." she joked.
"I'm happy for you Laura. Truly. But I hope this guy of yours knows you have a team of Avengers behind your back if he hurts you in any way." Nat reassured her.
"Well it's a good thing we love each other and it would never come to that. Besides it'd be a cold day in hell before I have you guys fight my battles for me." Laura said as she reached for the bottle. Nat smiled in approval.
"I hope so."
Laura made her way up the stairs to hug Sam who was talking to Steve.
"It's good to see you Sam." she said as he hugged her back.
"You to Laura. I was just telling Steve you guys should have invited me on that recent raid of yours." he smirked.
"If I had known it was going to be a firefight I absolutely would have called you." Steve replied.
"No, I'm not actually sorry. I'm just trying to sound tough. I'm very happy chasing cold leads on our missing persons case. Avenging is your world. Your world is crazy." Sam said as the three glanced down to see all of The Avengers mingling with the party guests.
"You haven't seen nothing yet, Sam." Laura hinted.
"You find a place in Brooklyn yet?" Sam asked Steve.
"I don't think I can afford a place in Brooklyn." he joked.
"Welcome to rent in 2015 New York Steve." Laura joked.
He smiled.
"But its still home." he said and she nodded.
"It's home."
The party eventually dwindled down and the guests slowly left.
It was early the next morning.
Laura was sitting between Tony and Rhodey who were joined by The Avengers along with Cho and Hill.
Mjolnir was planted on the coffee table in the middle of them as Thor told them its origins.
And that you could only lift it if you were "worthy"
The last part in which nobody bought or believed.
"But it's a trick!" Clint accused.
"Oh, no. It's much more than that." Thor hinted.
"Uh, "Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power!" Whatever man! It's a trick." Clint said in a mock voice.
"Well please, be my guest." Thor offered while gesturing towards Mjolnir.
"Oh, this outta be good." Laura said amused while leaning back.
"Really?" Clint asked him.
"Yeah!" he grinned and Clint got up.
"Oh this is gonna be beautiful." Rhodey joked.
"Clint, you've had a tough week, we won't hold it against you if you can't get it up." Tony joked, causing everyone to laugh.
"You know I've seen this before, right?" he grabbed the handle and used all of his muscle to lift it to no avail.
"I still don't know how you do it." he just laughed in disbelief.
"Smell the silent judgment?" Tony taunted.
"Please, Stark, by all means." he offered and Tony got up.
"Place your bets! Place your bets! Hammer trick versus billionaire genius. Odds are in favor of the hammer!" Laura joked dramatically to the laughs.
"Never one to shrink from an honest challenge. Watson." Tony said with a tilt of his head down to her.
"Uh huh, well go on then." she gestured her hand to it.
"It's physics. Watson. Physics." he said confidently.
"Right. Physics." she repeated and he gripped his hand through the leather strap.
"Right, so, if I lift it, I...I then rule Asgard?" he asked Thor.
"Yes, of course." he nodded.
"I will be re-instituting Prima Nocta." he joked and tried to lift the hammer up but failed like Clint.
He looked stumped.
"I'll be right back." he quickly left to grab one of his suit hands.
Rhodey grabbed his and the two gripped the handle.
"Are you even pulling?" Rhodey accused dramatically.
"Are you on my team?" Tony asked back.
"Just represent! Pull!"
"Alright, let's go! "the hands having their thrusters on full power to try and pry Mjolnir free in another failed attempt.
Bruce tried to pull it off the table with all his strength but ended up screaming via Bruce loudly.
Causing everyone to raise their eyebrows at him.
Laura got up and cracked her knuckles.
"All right boys, this is how its done!" she said confidentially.
"Watch out everyone!" Tony joked.
"Here we go!" Clint joked as she gripped both her hands on it.
Using all of her muscles she tried prying it free but ended up landing on her butt between the table and the couch with a "Oomph"
Getting everyone to laugh.
"Yeah, yeah, get it all out of your systems…" she waved them off before fixing the hem of her skirt and sitting back down.
Lastly Steve got up and pulled up his sleeves.
Laura leaned back, grabbing her glass from the table with an eyebrow raised.
"Come on, Cap." Rhodey cheered him on.
"Yeah Steve I mean if Captain America can't lift the hammer trick what hope is there for the rest of us?" Laura joked.
He began to try to lift it but it budged ever so slightly.
Thor leaned in intently but that was how far it ended up going but it ended up staying planted on the glass.
He laughed in relief as Steve put his hands up in surrender.
"Nothing." Thor chuckled.
"You're up Natasha?" Laura offered.
"Oh, no no. That's not a question I need answered." she shook her head.
"All deference to the man who wouldn't be king, but it's rigged." Tony concluded as everyone began to get up.
"100% rigged from the start!" Laura exclaimed dramatically.
"You bet your ass." Clint agreed.
"Steve, he said a bad language word." Hill joked.
"Did you tell everyone about that?" Steve asked Tony with annoyance.
"The handle's imprinted, right? Like a security code. "Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints" is, I think, the literal translation?" Tony reasoned while Thor began to reach for his hammer.
"Yes, well that's, uh, that's a very, very interesting theory. I have a simpler one…" he picked it up with ease and flipped it.
"You're all not worthy…" he repeated.
Everyone began to disagree with him but a loud radio transmission that sounded like a screeching sound caused them to cover their ears.
.Except for Clint's and Laura's.
She and Tony pulled out their phones to begin finding the culprit but one of the mangled Iron Legion suits began walking towards them from the elevators.
"Worthy... No, how could you be worthy? You're all killers." the blue glowing suit accused.
"Stark." Steve said unamused.
"JARVIS?" he asked confused.
"I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or... I was a-dream?" the suit continued.
"Reboot, Legionnaire OS, we got a buggy suit." Tony asked Laura.
"I'm already trying to. I'm locked out…" she said in confusion.
"There was a terrible noise... and I was tangled in... in... strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy." the suit continued.
"You killed someone?" Steve frowned.
"Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices." the suit said.
"Who sent you?" Thor demanded but it replayed a recording of Tony's voice.
"I see a suit of armor around the world." was heard and Laura went wide eyed.
"Ultron!" she exclaimed.
"In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this... chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission." Ultron warned them.
"What mission?" Nat asked as she got in a fighting stance.
Laura reached for her spear and Hill grabbed her gun.
"Peace in our time." the walls exploded, and several Iron Legion suits came flying towards them.
Steve kicked the table towards one and Laura tackled Cho out of the way behind one of the couches.
Thor smacked one away with charged for one but it tossed him through the glass roof and onto the floor below.
Laura blasted one away but saw one grab the scepter.
"Guys!" she alerted while leaping forwards.
Steve jumped on it but it flew back into the wall, hard, knocking him off and the chance to escape.
Another one began firing at Nat and Bruce giving Tony the opportunity to leap off the railing and onto its shoulders.
Trying to pry the head off with a screwdriver as it uncontrollably hovered around the room.
One split in half was aiming its hand at Cho but Laura sliced the head off with a war cry.
Right as Steve tossed his shield at the last Iron Legion Tony was trying to pry the head off of and he landed with a thud on the floor.
"That was dramatic! I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to...evolve?" Ultron asked and picked up the upper half of one of the wrecked Iron Legions and crushed it.
"There's only one path to peace: The Avengers' extinction." Ultron stated before Thor threw Mjolnir at it, scattering the pieces all over the floor.
"I had strings, but now I'm free. There are no strings on me, no strings on me."